Love is a Ballgame
by XxLaBellaNottexX
Summary: Aislin Smalls, the unknown sister of Scotty Smalls is finally stepping foot in the spotlight. None of you knew her, but you will now and so will Benjamin Rodriguez, the boy who completely stole her heart. Remake of 'The Sandlot' with an OC added. OCxBenny
1. Chapter 1

**A.N.: Hey guys! This is my first 'Sandlot' story and it's been a long time coming. I've always wanted to write a fanfic for this but I never got around to it. Hopefully you guys like it. I DO NOT own any of the Sandlot characters, except for Aislin Smalls. Enjoy.**

* * *

Moving to a new city was hard, especially for Scotty Smalls. It always seemed like everywhere he went, he had trouble making friends. His sister, Aislin, knew it was because he was so quiet and shy. Ace peeked in at her brother playing with his erector set. A frown pulled the corners of her lips down as she stared, remembering the last place they had lived in, which held the same results– Scotty sitting in his room all summer long playing with childhood toys. With a shake of her head, Aislin slowly and quietly closed his bedroom door. Maybe she would bother him about his loneliness later. Now didn't seem like the best time.

Ace felt eyes on her, causing her to turn around and her emerald eyes met her mothers' steely blue ones. "He's doing it again…"

Her mother sighed, her eyes looking sad. Aislin tried to smile at her mom but it was worthless. She knew how much it bothered her mother that Scotty didn't make an effort to make friends. Ace also knew that her mother had blamed herself for him shyness. One night Aislin had her Bill, her step-father, and her mother talking about how moving so often was a strain on Scotty and Aislin. The truth was, though, that Aislin didn't mind the moves. She was able to acclimate fairly easily. Scotty was the difficult one.

Her mother placed her hand onto Aislin's shoulder for a moment before placing a knock onto Scotty's door. She didn't even wait for a response, she just opened the door. Ace was already moving down the hall into her bedroom when she heard, "Hi hunny, oooh." She turned on her heel to see her mothers' finger against her forehead, then she heard Scotty – "Oh, I'm sorry, mom. It was an accident…"

A smirk crept across Aislin's face as she stepped into her bed. Apparently something had hit their mother square in the forehead. What it was Aislin wasn't entirely sure but she had to figure it had to do with the erector set.

Aislin plopped down onto her bed and stared at the ceiling for a moment. Her bedroom was like any teenage girl of the 1960's. Pictures of Dion and the Belmont's, Elvis Presley and The Four Seasons. A record player sat by one of her windows, and in it, sat a record from Bill Haley and the Comets, amongst a mass of other records. Aislin did like to rock around the clock, all night. She was, by far, more outgoing than her younger brother. Scotty would never be caught dead bopping around his room to any sort of music. He only liked to listen to it. Dancing to it was a whole other ball park and one that he didn't dare step onto.

Her bed was pushed up against one wall, with a window directly above it. She liked it that way. Incase on hot nights, she could open the window and maybe catch a cool breeze or to even prop a window fan in there. She also liked it there because she would be able to look out her window on a clear night and stare at the stars, trying to find constellations or even a meteor.

On the opposite side of the room was a medium sized vanity mirror. Her makeup was placed neatly upon, along with her hairdryer. Most people did their hair in the bathroom but because Aislin had to share a bathroom with three other people, she found it more convenient to do her hair and makeup in her own bedroom. It seemed everyone else in the house also found it extremely convenient.

Ace turned her head, eyeing her desk and the pile of books that were strewn across it. Having only started school a few days ago and school ending in a few weeks, she didn't have much homework. She did have, however, a pile of books that her schools' library was going to toss out. 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,' a few works from Shakespeare, a book or two of Charles Dickens, even a copy of 'Anne of Green Gables.' Among the books, was also a copy of Aislin's all time favorite book, 'To Kill a Mockingbird.' She smiled at the book before pushing herself off the bed and walking over to the desk. Her slender, manicured fingers grasped the Mark Twain book. She had read 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn' in the past but something about the story captivated her, not as much as 'To Kill a Mockingbird' but it would have to do.

She lay back down on her book and opened to the first page. 'You don't know about me without you have read a book by the name of _The Adventures of Tom Sawyer; _but that ain't no matter. That book was made by Mr. Mark Twain, and he told the truth, mainly,' she began to read. As much as she liked this book, she could not stand the grammar of it. Mark Twain was a literary genius, though, and he wrote the book in a way that Huckleberry Finn would have spoken it, like a backwoods hillbilly.

Soon she was engulfed in her book when a knock sounded at her door. "Come in," she said, as she placed her book on her stomach and looked up. Scotty stepped into the room, rather timidly. He gave her a weak smile. "Sorry…s-sorry I didn't know you were busy."

Her brother was always too polite and always thinking. Ace smiled at him then sat up straight. "What's wrong, Scott?"

Aislin hardly ever called her brother 'Scotty.' She preferred to call him 'Scott,' like he was a grown man. Maybe 'Scotty' sounded too childish to her. Who really knows? She only knew she didn't like the sound of it.

Scotty stepped farther into her room, shutting the door behind him. He fidgeted for a moment before finally speaking. "Bill says he'll teach me to play catch but I don't know. I don't want to disappoint him. I can't catch a ball or anything."

The emeralds that made up Aislin's eyes watched him carefully. A small laugh passed her lips and infected the air. "Well that's why he's going to teach you. That's what teaching is all about, Scott."

He looked at her exasperated. That was easy for her to say, she was girl and knew how to catch and throw a baseball. Their father had taught Aislin before he had passed and then Bill had even shown her a year or so before they moved to the Valley. "Can you teach me?"

"Scott, I don't think I'll be able to. I mean, you don't want the boys of the neighborhood picking on you, do you?" She smirked at him, but he continued to give her a melancholy look. "Look, maybe one day after school or maybe when I'm not busy. A few people from school want me to go out with them."

He just gave her a nod and left, leaving the door slightly ajar. She frowned. If Scotty wanted to learn how to play the game so bad, he'd have to let Bill teach him at some point. Aislin knew the basics but she wasn't a pro baseball player. She hardly even paid attention to the game anymore. Being a teenager was demanding. Boys were starting to really look at her, friends wanted to go to the local drive-in movie, maybe hit a theme park or a carnival. Before they moved, Aislin was hardly home, where as Scotty was always home. It did make Aislin feel a little guilty, since her brother and she had always been close. However, not being home all the time should have made Bill and Scotty closer. At least that what Aislin had hoped but it seemed like they were still trying to feel each other.

There was nothing she could tonight to help Scotty. Maybe tomorrow she would give him better advice but right now, she needed her beauty sleep. She walked to the light switch and flicked it off. Hopping into bed, she curled up on her side and slowly drifted off to sleep.

**XoXoX**

Light poured into her room, shining brightly onto Ace's face. With a groan, she turned over, pulling the covers over her head but it was no use. The light was still too bright. _Curses_, she thought. She would have to go to a tool store or maybe a window store to find room darkeners. Mornings were not her thing and, even though they were in California now, she was not going to like the sun and its mornings anymore than the last place they had lived.

She heard her door creak open, causing her to peer out from under the covers. Scotty stood in the doorway, his brow raised. "Mom says to come get some breakfast."

"What time is it," she asked, rather groggily.

"Almost 9." Damn, he was up early. Then again, Scotty was always up early. Ace could never figure out why. As a young boy, she figured he'd want to sleep in then watch 'The Flintstones' when he woke up. Scotty was a kid of a different breed. He definitely marched to the beat of his drummer.

Aislin sat up in her bed and cocked her head to the side. She noticed Scotty wasn't even wearing his pajamas. He was fully dressed in a green plaid shirt, a pair of khakis and that stupid tan hat with the long visor and the stupid fish on it. "Where are you going?"

"Oh … uh…well I saw some guys go over to the sandlot, so I figure-"

"Wait, wait, the sandlot? What in the world is that?"

"Just an old, beat up baseball diamond."

Ace raised an eyebrow at him, which had to have made him self-conscious. Ace could see it written all over his face. "I'm sorry. Continue."

And he did just that. He told her his plan about sneaking into the sandlot and standing in the outfield to take up space. From Aislin's understanding they didn't have a full team, so Scotty just figured he could be the almost invisible ninth man. Ace had asked him if Bill had already taught him how to play and when he answered 'no,' she stared at him in disbelief. This had bad idea written all over but Ace couldn't bring herself to crush his hopes. Scotty was getting himself into a rather embarrassing situation, she only hoped they didn't notice him, or didn't hit anything his way.

After what seemed like an hour or so, Aislin finally rolled out of bed and made her way to the kitchen table. She sat down as her mother shoved a plate full of food in front of her. Picking up her fork, Ace picked at her eggs. She noticed Scotty rush by her and head out the front door. Their mother peeked around the corner then looked at Ace with a raised brow. "Where is he going?"

"To make some friends," she said with a smile. She didn't know if it was true or not. She only hoped it would be true.

"And what about you? What are your plans for the day?"

She shrugged before answering her mother. She told her that maybe she would walk around the town and figure out what fun places it held. Ace also mentioned that she may be meeting up with a few friends. Her mother looked pleased, as did Bill. Bill smiled at Aislin over his paper. He was in his own world, like he was most mornings or whenever he was working. "So who are these friends," he asked.

"A few girls from school and some boys. I think one of them likes me. His name is Will. He's a baseball player."

That caught Bill's attention. He put the paper down, a blatantly obvious big grin on his face. "Hope I get to meet him sometime."

Aislin shook her head and laughed. She finished her breakfast, got dressed and decided to hit the town. It was hours when she finally arrived back home. Her mother met her at the home with a strange look on her face. "Do you know what happened to Scotty?"

"What? No."

Her mother sighed. "He's been in his room all day. Maybe an hour or so after you left, he came running back in here and straight into his room. It sounded as if he was crying. He won't answer me though."

Ace bit her bottom lip. Something must have happened at the sandlot. She looked up at her mother and assured her she'd make sure her brother was okay. That's what big sisters were for. She walked to his room and knocked gently at the door. "Scott, it's me…"

It took a moment but Aislin heard the door unlock. She opened it and poked her head in. "What happened?"

Scotty didn't turn around, he just motioned for her to come in. She shut the door once inside and sighed. "Scott, what happened today?"

"I went to the sandlot and made a complete fool of myself. One of the boys hit a ball, and I wasn't really paying attention to where it was going. I got pelted with it. They all started to laugh and I couldn't handle it. I just ran off like a loser."

Aislin's face dropped at her brothers words. She took a seat next to him on his bed and hugged him from behind. "Don't worry about it. It could be worse…"

Turning his head to the side, he asked, a little confused, "How could it be any worse?"

"Well you could be a girl," she responded and forced a smile. Scotty fully turned around, giving her a weak smile. It was hard for Aislin to see her brother so down and out. She ruffled his hair playfully, trying to lighten the mood. "Look, just ask Bill tomorrow to teach you. He can't sit there and work all day, can he?"

"I guess not…" She could hear the hesitation in his voice and frowned.

"You two need to bond at some point, Scott. He's our father now. That's something we all need to get used to." Her words were final, as she stood up and left the room, closing the door gently behind her. She didn't say it harshly. She could never say anything too harsh to her brother. She just needed him to know that he was acting foolishly and not bonding with Bill was ridiculous. The man was going to be in their lives for quite a long time and not interacting with the man –or even barely interacting with him- wasn't going to work. If that was the case, they would always be awkward around each other.

**XoXoX**

When Aislin finally got around to getting up the next morning, Scotty and Bill were already outside playing ball. Or at least attempting to. She propped her elbows onto the windowsill and watched. Scotty was very bad at catching and throwing. Her emerald eyes glanced over at Bill, who looked slightly frustrated. He wasn't exactly a patient man but that's what Scotty needed, some patience. Aislin didn't have the time, nor did she really have the patience.

She could hear Bill tell Scotty to throw the ball back to him. Scotty, looking unsure, bent over a little and brought his arm back to toss the ball underhand. Ace made a face at the scene. It was embarrassing. Bill just stood, baffled, staring at Scotty then looking at the ball then back at Scotty. She really didn't want to watch anymore but she continued to anyways.

"Keep your on the ball … okay?"

Scotty nodded and Bill threw the ball. He threw and _BAM_ it hit her brother right in the eye! Ace hopped off her bed and ran into the kitchen, just as Bill and her brother walked in. Scotty was clearly in agony, yelling "Ugh, my eye! My eye! Oww, ughh!" Her mother, not slightly frantic told Bill to get some ice but instead, he grabbed the steaks that were for dinner and shoved them right onto Scotty's eye. Scotty explained to his mother, with the meat still pressed to his aching eye, that he took his eye off the ball. Bill commented, saying that he at least caught it and that he ought to watch out for his curve. Ace stared at them and frowned. This poor kid was never going to learn to the play the game. Maybe she would teach him after all.

Scotty kept the meat on his for a little while before Bill and their mother checked it out. His eye was still black but at least it wasn't swollen. Ace smirked at him and told him that he could always tell people he got into a messed up fight and that the other guy looks even worse than him. That seemed to cheer him up, at least for a few moments. He went outside shortly after that and as Ace was walking over to the door, she saw a tan boy walk up to the house, with a mitt and bat in his hand. "Hey," he started as he walked up the drive way and front walk in large steps. "I'm going to go play some ball and we need an extra guy, you wanna go?"

Ace watched as Scotty told him 'no.' "Nah, thanks."

"Why not? Don't you like baseball," the tan boy asked with a little attitude.

"Oh yeah but uh…"

"But what?"

Scotty stood up, holding his glove out a little. "Uh but my glove…it's busted. See? Ah, nah, I can't go."

The tan boy shook his head slightly then said, "That's okay…I got an extra one." He reached around to his back, pulling out an extra glove. Aislin smiled. It was really sweet of him to just come into the yard and ask her brother, someone he didn't even know, if he wanted to hang out and have fun. Maybe Scotty would make a friend.

The boy tossed the baffled Scotty the glove. "Come on, let's go."

Ace began to walk back to her room when she heard Scotty open the door and yell inside. "Mom! I'm gonna go play some ball, I'll be back in a little while!"

Ace wanted to follow them to make sure it wasn't a trick but the boy that came up to the house seemed to be really sweet. She had to wonder if it was one of the sandlot kids trying to make amends. Hopefully Scotty would tell her all about it when he got back from playing. Until then, she could only wait.


	2. Chapter 2

_Bom ba ba bom ba bom ba bom bom ba ba bom ba ba bom ba ba dang a dang dang  
Ba ba ding a dong ding Blue moon moon blue moon…_

The music drifted out of Ace's room and into the hallway as Scotty ran into the house, looking for his sister. He had one hell of story to tell her. When he finally reached her room, she was completely immersed in the song, even though she was supposed to be finishing her homework. "And then there suddenly appeared before me. The only one my arms will ever hold. I heard somebody whisper please adore me. And when I looked the moon had turned to gold!"

"Aislin!" Scotty's voice nearly made her jump out of her skin. She quickly turned around, a look of surprise showing on her face. "I have something amazing to tell you!"

His excitement caused her to smile. She motioned to her bed, telling him to sit down and tell her all about it. "Well lets it. Must be pretty great if you're so worked up about it. Nice hat, by the way."

Scotty put his hand up to the new dark blue hat with the big yellow 'C' on it. He must have forgotten it was there, what with his over-excitement. "Oh, thanks. Benny gave it to me. Okay, well it started when this kid, Benny, came over today. He just walked right up to the house and basically asked me to go play some ball with him and his friends."

Friends. Something Scotty normally would never make when they moved. Aislin was beginning to worry that he was going to end up a complete loner but it seemed that this Benny kid was helping Scotty in a way that Ace couldn't. The last time she tried to help him make friends, it ended in disaster. Young men didn't like having their sisters' pick out their friends. It wasn't the 'cool' thing to do. Thankfully, Benny seemed to be the perfect remedy to the disease of loneliness and shyness.

Scotty continued to talk and tell her all about his day. From the moment he met Benny's group a friends and not knowing who the Great Bambino was to the part where he caught a ball that was hit towards him. That was probably the best part of his story, to him anyway. Scotty had been trying so hard to learn how to play baseball but he just couldn't get the knack of it. Again, Benny seemed to fix that problem quite quickly.

"That's great, Scott. I'm curious though… how did you not know who the Great Bambino was? I mean, I know dad died when you were really little but it wasn't like mom or Bill hasn't mentioned him before, especially Bill. Geez, the man is more than obsessed with baseball, you would think you would have picked something up." Ace laughed a little at her own rambling, while Scotty looked at her like she was crazy.

"You're a girl though. I didn't think you knew anything about baseball. Same with mom, actually."

Ace almost looked somewhat offended. Just because she was a girl didn't mean that she didn't know a thing or two about the sport. After her father died and Bill became a part of the family, she attached herself to him, becoming a step-daddy's girl, if you will. She would ask Bill all kinds of questions about baseball and what teams he liked the best, who he thought the best players were. She even asked him if he ever thought he would become a famous baseball player. Of course, he always told her he wished he could have but he had other priorities, her mother being the main one.

"I've learned quite a bit during my time of Earth. I could always help you out if you-"

She was quickly cut off by Scotty. "Have my sister teach me how to play? I don't think so. Benny seems to be doing a pretty good job."

"Well I won't disagree there. Maybe I could come and watch one day? Maybe even get in on the action?"

Scotty's mouth nearly dropped. Ace was on a roll of making him uncomfortable. He didn't even say anything, just shook his head 'no.' With a shrug, she agreed she wouldn't embarrass him. She would just stay home and maybe read a book until she was old enough to go to college.

**XxXxX**

Aislin was suddenly jolted awake by a loud, annoying ringing. She turned over in her bed, realizing it was her alarm clock and smacked it off the night stand. It didn't do anything to stop the extremely loud noise. Even if she didn't want to, she got up to stop the sound. Looking at the face of the clock, she sighed. "7:30 in the morning. Why? Why did I set this so early?"

With a hint of annoyance, she tossed the clock onto her bed and made for her door. Swinging it open and stepping out, she was nearly toppled by Scotty. "Whoa, why are you in such a rush?"

"Going to the sandlot this morning. Early game with Scotty and the guys."

With her eyebrow raised, she followed behind Scotty into the kitchen. He grabbed a bowl, quickly poured some cereal and sat down to eat. Ace sat across from him and watched. She was still a bit out of it as she took the box of cereal and poured some for herself.

"Scotty, slow down." Her mother said before turning back to the stove.

It was like he didn't even hear her; he finished in seconds then hopped off the chair. Ace turned in her chair, continuing to show no interest in her breakfast, watching her brother run down the hall into his bedroom. She got up, went into her room and decided to get dressed and follow him. Of course, she had promised Scotty she wouldn't embarrass him, but it wasn't like she was going to just walk onto the sandlot and say 'hey guys, I wanna play to!'

Ace waited until she heard Scotty shut the front door before leaving her room. She watched him from the living room window, only leaving the house when he was far enough away not to notice her. That's when it began. She turned into some sort of spy, stalking out her brother just to make sure his new friends were up to par.

Scotty may have told her they were nice, but there was still the twenty to thirty minutes were the boys were unsure of her brother and decided to haze him a bit. She didn't like that. Not one bit. Ace was afraid that Scotty was just telling her what she wanted to hear, but if that was the case then why did he tell her about the slight bullying? She was over thinking this. She was just going to check them out for herself then make her judgments from there.

It took only a few minutes to reach the sandlot, and Ace made sure to stay far behind. She didn't need Scotty or these boys to see her. She crouched near some dead bushes, hoping she blended in well enough. She watched intently as a rather chubby boy with black hat and a red and yellow striped shirt took his place at bat. He pointed towards the air like the Babe and Aislin let out a small laugh. Scotty wasn't lying when he mentioned how much these boys loved to play baseball. The entertaining stance the boy took made the pitcher bust out in laughter, along with the other boys.

From where she was kneeling, she could see her brother. He stood in the outfield, where he had told her he took his position the day before. He looked some comfortable, like he had been playing for years. It was refreshing to see her brother take such a keen interest in something, and have friends while doing it.

"Yeah, yeah, give 'im a hockey stick." She heard one of the boys say, before the pitcher threw the ball. The ball went perfectly into the catcher's glove, with quite a bit of heat on it. The catcher jumped up, clearly surprised at the pitch.

"You call that pitching?" The chubby boy asked, as the pitcher laughed. Ace continued to watch the boys, now intrigued at how they played. She wasn't planning on staying more than she needed to but now, she was interested in the game. That was until she heard a low growl next to her. She slowly turned her head to the side, expecting to see some rabid animal ready to attack but instead, she saw nothing.

She raised an eyebrow, wondering for a moment if the sound she heard was all in her head. Just as she was about to turn her back to the game, and continue to watch, she heard a ferocious bark. With a scream, she hopped up and ran from her hiding spot. She stopped in the center of left field, staring at the spot she had been hiding in.

The whole world seemed to become silent in that moment, until someone said, "Who's that?"

Ace turned to see all the boys staring at, including her brother. Scotty looked at her with a mixture of surprise and anger. She turned to give him a silly smile but he wasn't having it. He looked at the chubby kid, answering his question. "That's my sister and she's leaving now."

The catcher, staring at Ace, took of his mask and shook his head. "Nah, it's fine. She can stay and watch."

The chubby boy piped in next. "Yeah, I like when hot girls watch me play. Makes them want me."

Even though she wasn't remotely interested in the chubby boy, she blushed. She had been called pretty and cute hundreds of times. Thankfully, she was too far away for him to notice. The boy was catching waved her over. "Scotty, bring her over! She can hang out on the bench!"

Scotty, his face still angry, walked over to his sister. "Yeah, okay!"

He looked at her as he narrowed his eyes, ever so slightly. "What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to make sure they weren't complete jerks to you, that's all."

"Well now they might be. You just embarrassed me."

Ace glared at him. It was fine that he was mad at her but she really hadn't embarrassed him, at least not in her mind. In her mind, she was being a protective, loving sister and should be acknowledged for that. "They don't seem to mind that I'm here."

He was finished talking, she could tell. He began to walk in front of her, which caused her to roll her emerald eyes at the back of his head. They reached the tan boy, that she had seen the other day, and the chubby boy. Scotty turned to her, briefly, and said, "This is Benny and this is Ham."

He turned to the other boys and went through their names as well, making sure he pointed at each other. "That's Timmy and Tommy Timmons, Squints, Yeah-Yeah, Bertram, and Kenny DeNunez."

Ace gave them a small, polite wave. "Hi, guys."

The boy, Yeah-Yeah, yelled, "Can we get this show on the road?"

Benny looked at Ace with a smile then pointed to the wooden bench. "You can hang out over there. That all right?"

"Yeah, that's fine." She smiled back at him then turned on her heel and went to sit down. She could definitely feel eyes on her but she couldn't tell if it was just Benny, or all the boys. When she turned around to sit down, she saw all of them act like they weren't staring. With a shake of her head, she sat down and looked over at Scotty. He walked back to his spot with his head down; he was clearly not happy with her and felt absolutely embarrassed. He's just going to have to get over it. The boys didn't mind her being there, which meant she was probably going to show up to more of these games.

**XxXxX**

That night, when Ace and Scotty got home, it was almost WWIII. Scotty didn't yell at her until they got in the house. "Well Benny seems nice. I mean, he walked us both home."

Scotty turned on her and glared. "Why? Why did you follow me there?!"

"I already told you, I was-"

"Yeah, you wanted to make sure they guys weren't jerks. Well, you're the jerk! You couldn't just trust what I told you?!"

"Will you calm down? I was just looking out for you…"

"Well, I wish you wouldn't! You could have ruined this for me!"

Ace couldn't say anything else. Scotty stormed off into his room, slamming the door. Bill came out of his office, in a near panic, and stared at Aislin. "Everything all right?"

She nodded and mumbled a 'fine.' Bill tilted his head to the side, seeing she was upset about something. He knew though it was best to leave it alone. He figured this was a repeat of Scotty's last friend situation. It had a very similar one-sided argument. To be honest, Ace wasn't expecting Scotty to really blow up like he did. It wasn't like him. Maybe she would just stay home and mind her business from now on. She definitely didn't need her brother hating her.

Ace sulked into her room, plopping herself down onto her bed. "Aislin?"

Her mother poked her head into the room. It was only a matter of time before Bill mentioned something to her. She looked at Ace with those sad blue eyes before walking in. She took a seat at the edge of the bed. "What happened?"

Aislin propped herself up on her elbows. Sighing, she explained to her mother what had happened. She told her all about her little spy adventure and then how Scotty totally freaked out on her. "I didn't mean to make him so mad. I just thought that maybe he was lying about how nice they turned out to be."

Her mother fully understood. However, she did tell Ace that she maybe should have trusted Scotty a bit more. Her mother was always like that. Always tell Ace or Scotty the rights and wrongs of life. That's what all mothers did. Ace smiled at her mom. "You do always give the best advice. I'll just leave him alone for a bit. Let him get his bearings."

Her mother nodded in agreement. It was really the best thing to do. Maybe tomorrow Aislin would find something else to do, maybe hang out with her new friends. It couldn't hurt.

Scotty walked past Ace's room, briefly looking in at her but not bothering to stop and talk. She knew exactly where he was going. After Ham had hit a homer into the yard behind the sandlot, Scotty went to retrieve, only to be stopped by the boys. They had told him and Ace that there was some monster dog that lived behind the fence. Apparently, he ate one boy already. Ace, being a bright girl, thought it was complete rubbish but the boys insisted that it was true. They invited Scotty to spend the night, to tell him all about the story and he agreed.

"Hope you have fun," she called out to him, hoping he heard her. Even if he did, he was going to ignore her until the day she died.

**XxXxX**

Bright and early the next morning, one of Ace's friends from school stopped over. She wanted to look at some new dresses for an upcoming dance at their school. At first, Ace was a little reluctant, wanting to go back to the sandlot, but in the end she agreed. She had promised herself that she would let Scotty get accustomed to his new friends and that she wouldn't butt into his life anymore. That didn't mean she would stop being so protective.

"Maggie, you can't be serious. That's so ugly!" Aislin laughed as she swatted away some ugly blouse. Her laughter was interrupted but the sound of someone coughing behind her. Maggie smiled as Ace turned around to see who it was. Her eyes met the face of a boy she'd never seen before. He was dressed in a red and white baseball jacket with a big white 'T' on it. "Hey Maggie, who's your friend?"

"Oh hey, Ant. This is Aislin Smalls. She moved her not too long ago."

Aislin looked at Maggie with a confused look. How in the world did she know this kid? And dear God, did everyone in this damn town play baseball?

"Nice to meet you, Aislin. I'm Anthony. Anthony Phillips."

"Nice to meet you too." Ace suddenly felt extremely awkward. Maybe because this Anthony kid was eyeing her like a fat kid eyes candy. She took a step back, bumping into Maggie.

"You guys doing anything tonight? There's a carnival in town for a few days. We could all go. You, Aislin, one of my friends and myself."

Ace couldn't help but blurt out, "Like a date?"

He laughed and she wasn't surprised when he nodded. "Yeah, sort of. Why not?"

Maggie quickly interjected, making sure Aislin didn't ruin this opportunity. "No reason, no reason at all. We'll meet you there. Make sure you bring someone cute for me."

With another laugh, he nodded and walked away. Maggie turned to Aislin, giving her a look. "What is wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with you? Why would you put me up for a date? I don't even know him."

"Well I do. He's really nice, I promise. Plus, he plays baseball. You like baseball."

Ace narrowed her eyes. How did she always seem to get herself involved in these messes? First she gets her brother extremely mad at her and then she get involved in a date night that she never wanted in the first place. She was turning into a walking catastrophe.

"Well, since we're here … might as well buy a new dress."

**XxXxX**

**Okay so I'll update on Tuesday or Thursday. I tried to write this quickly because I just needed/wanted to get it out. Let me know what you guys think! Comments are always appreciated. ****J**


	3. Chapter 3

Walking through the front door, with a new dress in hand, Aislin headed straight for her room. She was nearly down the hall when she heard that infamous maternal voice. "What'd you buy?"

"Just a dress. Nothing fancy." Ace tried to walk into her room but she was quickly stopped. Her mother wasn't always nosey but when she had a feeling something was up, she was worse than the C.I.A.

She took the bag from Ace's hand and peered inside. The most annoying smile Ace had ever seen suddenly crept onto her face. "Nothing fancy, huh?"

"Maggie pulled me into a double date."

Being a mother of the early sixties, Ace's mom looked at her slightly concerned. Dating wasn't a huge deal if you weren't twelve. The steely eyes of her mother stared at her, searching for the proper words to say. "Aislin..."

"Mom, look, I'm not even interested in the guy. I'm just doing this to appease Maggie. She was very insistent, to say the least."

"Where are you guys going for this little date?"

"The carnival that's in town. Not that big of a deal."

Her mother nodded at her then gave her a small woman-to-girl talk. Apparently this was the perfect time for her mother to explain the birds and the bees. It wasn't a very long speech since Ace broke it to her mother that her school had already started teaching them about the subject. Patricia Smalls narrowed her eyes ever so slightly. Her mother was very old school, with old world morals. Ace gave her a crooked smile as she suppressed a laugh. "Thanks for the advice though."

After her mother had left, Ace sat at her desk, only to find a note taped to the outside of the window behind her desk. She raised her brow at it as she stood up. _Your sister is seriously hot;_ it read. With a roll of her eyes, she stood up and waltzed into Scotty's room. Dropping the note onto his desk, she said; "I believe your friends thought my bedroom window was your bedroom window."

His eyes met hers and he groaned. "Ham. Pretty sure that was his doing."

"Tell him I said 'thanks'." She laughed while she walked back into her bedroom and shut the door. It never bothered her when someone complimented her. In fact, it always made her blush. Ace had never thought of herself as being 'beautiful' or 'pretty.' Hell, she never even thought she was 'cute.' She just thought she was Ace. She didn't use labels to describe herself but she lived in a society that was obsessed with labels.

Ace pulled out a pen, just so she could scribble in her journal before she went to bed. She didn't write anything highly exciting but she did mention her upcoming double date. The one she was clearly not thrilled about. The idea of it haunted her all the way home from the dress store. She looked over at the phone on her desk, then at her clock. It was late, at least by 1960's standards, but she needed to speak with Maggie before this date tomorrow. Ace picked up the phone and punched in Maggie's number. After two rings, Maggie's mother picked up the phone and Ace automatically felt awkward. She spoke softly into the phone asking to speak with Maggie. Ace could hear Maggie's mother sigh as if she was a little annoyed. Who could blame her? Ace would probably be annoyed if some young girl was calling her house so late. "Hello?"

"Maggie, I need to talk to you. I don't know about this. I mean-"

"Aislin, you're getting yourself all worked up for nothing. Anthony and his friends are really cool. I promise they won't give you a problem."

Ace mulled it over in her head for a moment before finally sighing into the phone. "Fine. If he kisses me though, or tries, I'm going to punch him in the mouth."

Maggie laughed, hard, into the phone. "Okay, okay."

The girls talked for a few more minutes until both of their mothers yelled for them to go to bed. Once Ace had hung up the phone, she looked down at her journal. While she was talking on the phone, she had absentmindedly been drawing and writing. Mostly little baseballs, hearts or stars but the one thing that stood out was the name she had written. Right there, in fancy lettering was the name of one of Scotty's friends. The name of the handsome tan boy that first came to the house, Benny. She stared at the name for a moment, and then decided it was nothing, even though she couldn't figure out why she would have written it. In her mind, the only logical reason for writing his name would be because she was thinking of him. But she hadn't been. She and Maggie had been discussing Anthony Phillips, so maybe her subconscious was telling her something.

Even if her subconscious was trying to tell her something, she wasn't going to dwell on it anymore. She was going to bed and that was that. She needed to get up early tomorrow and start the process of getting ready for her date. The long process of making herself look acceptable for a boy.

**XxXxX**

7:30 A.M. and that damn alarm was going off again. Ace hated mornings, she was more of a night owl. Thankfully, her date wasn't until later in the day but that didn't mean that she didn't have to start getting ready for it. She needed to shower, make sure her hair was flawless, maybe put on a little makeup –just enough so her mother or Bill wouldn't notice. Even though Aislin wasn't thrilled about going on the double date, she still, for whatever reason, felt she needed to look pretty.

Maggie arrived at the Smalls house a little after five o'clock. Ace answered the door, fully dressed. Maggie's mouth dropped a little as she looked over Aislin. "Where's the dress?"

"Well, if we're going to a carnival and we're going to be on rides, it's probably not wise to wear a dress. The capri's are cute though."

Maggie pursed her lips together. She didn't want to admit they were cute, even though she thought they were. To Maggie, you had to look like a girly girl at all times, that's why over ninety percent of her wardrobe consisted of skirts and dresses. Aislin was more practical. She liked wearing jeans and capri's. Besides being practical, they were more comfortable.

After a moment or two, Maggie finally nodded and the girls left the house. Scotty had been gone most of the day, probably at the sandlot with the boys. She didn't know how they could stand it though, it was scorching outside. To be honest, Aislin didn't even want to go to the carnival. Not that she wanted to go in the first place. Maggie pulled her through the streets until they reached the entrance to the carnival. Phillips and his friend, who later found out was named Mike, were waiting for them with big, goofy grins. Ace suddenly felt a knot in her stomach like she'd never felt before.

"So, what's the first ride?"

"Well actually, we figured we'd take you guys to the movies. It's a bit cooler there."

Aislin slowly turned her head to Maggie, who now held a similar goofy grin. Now Ace was going to be stuck in a dark room with a boy who looked at her like a delectable piece of prime rib. Maggie could have sworn Ace's turned a fiery red from their normal emerald green. She looked back at the boys and held up a hand. "Give me a minute, please."

Maggie took Ace's arm and walked a few steps away, faraway so the boys couldn't hear. "Maggie," she hissed. "You have got to be kidding me."

"Ace it is really hot out. It won't be that bad."

"Promise? You seem to like to do that."

"Yeah, yeah, I promise." Ace narrowed her eyes as Maggie walked over to Mike and snaked her arm through his. Phillips looked at Ace with a smile. It wasn't lady-like to be rude, so Ace walked over and followed Maggie's lead. It felt weird. She had never been so close to a boy. Hell, Ace hadn't even had her first kiss yet. However, she couldn't help but kind of like a heel. It did feel kind of nice. Damn those hormonal changes.

"Anything in particular you two want to see?" Phillips looked from one girl to the other. They both shrugged. Ace was new in town and she hadn't really been paying much attention to the local entertainment. She was too busy watching out for her brother.

"Whatever you want. You guys can call the shots." Maggie looked over at Ace, the stupid grin still on her face. Ace shook her head. As much as she loved her friend, she was absolutely ridiculous. To Maggie, the only other thing that mattered in life, other than being the most beautiful girl around, was boys.

The four of them walked to the theatre and saw some movie that was described as a thriller. Something to do with a man that turned into a werewolf. She wasn't too sure though, she was hardly paying attention. She was focusing more on Phillips and how his hand kept creeping closer and closer to hers. She nearly jumped off her chair when he leaned in and whispered in her ear. "You know, you're really beautiful."

"Th-thank you."

"Oh? Do I make you stutter?"

Ace whipped her head to the side to look at him. Her eyes turned slightly icy as she glared at him. "No. The movie just scared me a little and you whispering in my ear didn't help."

"Well instead of whispering in your ear, how about I give you a little kiss?"

"Eager, aren't we, Tony?" She couldn't help but smirk at him. Even though she didn't want to admit it, he was very nice to her. During their walk to the theatre, he did nothing but compliment her and tell her how much he wanted to hang out with her again. At first it was a little overwhelming but like any girl, it began to grow on her. The attention of a boy was something she secretly longed for and now she was receiving it. A lot of it.

"It's not that. It's just that I really like you…" He moved in closer to her. At first Ace wanted to push him away but once his lips were close enough, she just let him kiss her. It wasn't at all like she had imagined. She pictured her first kiss as being magical, seeing fireworks that burst into big, pink hearts. It wasn't like that at all. It was just a kiss. Nothing spectacular. Nothing exciting. She was a little disappointed but that was life, full of disappointment or what she called, reality.

**XxXxX**

"So are you and Anthony going steady now?"

"Maggie, I don't know. I kissed him once."

"Yeah, what happened to punching him in the face?"

If Aislin could glare at Maggie through the phone, she would have. Instead she had to settle with making a face at herself in the mirror. "Shut up, Maggie."

Shortly after that comment, Aislin hung up with her friend. She had a long day and thinking about going steady with someone she kissed once was a little too much to cope with. As she got lost in her thoughts, Scotty knocked at her door. Ace turned in her seat and greeted him a kind smile.

"Ace, I'm sorry for getting so mad the other day."

"Why are you apologizing now? You were done being mad the other day."

"Yeah, I know. I just never got to say it." He walked into her room and sat down onto her bed. Ace turned in her chair again to follow his movements. "The guys wanted me to ask if you could come to the sandlot tomorrow. Well, Ham really asked."

She couldn't help but laugh. It seemed like that boy would try anything to get her attention, even though she wasn't going to give it. "Yeah, sure. I'll meet you there when I get up. I assume you're having an early morning game, like always. Oh and I'm sad I missed you at the picnic. You missed the fireworks."

"Oh no, I didn't. I was at the sandlot. We had a night game. Of course, we all stopped to watch the fireworks." He paused for a minute then added, "Except Benny."

He looked at her like he wanted to say something else but instead he stood up and left, telling her 'goodnight' as he did. Ace decided not to stay up any longer; there was really no reason to. It was getting late and, now, she had plans for tomorrow.

**XxXxX**

Scotty had left about an hour before Aislin woke up. She got dressed fairly quickly and made her way to the sandlot. When she showed up there, she heard some commotion going on. Something she didn't like. The sound of boys squabbling drifted through the air, the boys of the sandlot and the very distinct voice of Anthony Phillips. "Yeah, it's easy when you play with a bunch of rejects and a fat, Rodriguez."

Rejects? That jerk was calling her little brother a reject? Oh no, Phillips wasn't going to get away with that. Not if she could help it. Ace got closer to the fence, staying hidden and listening to the entire exchange.

Shut your mouth, Phillips." It was Benny. His voice was just as distinctive as Phillips, except his way deeper.

The next voice she heard was Hamilton Porter, the chubby boy that seemed to have a bit of a crush on her. "What'd you say crap face?!"

"I said you shouldn't even be allowed to touch a baseball. Except for Rodriguez, you're all an insult to the game."

There it was again, a blatant insult to her brother. Ace wanted so badly to run onto the field and smack him right in the mouth. But she didn't. She continued to listen, knowing full well that he had to leave the sandlot at some point. She would catch him when he left.

"Come on! We'll take you on right here, right now! Come on!" Ham seemed to get all the boys in on it. Telling Phillips to 'come on.' It was entertaining.

"We play on a real diamond, Porter. You ain't good enough to lick the dirt off our cleats."

"Watch it, jerk."

"Shut up, idiot."

"Moron!" At this point, Ace poked her head around the face to watch Ham and Phillips start a name calling match. She had to laugh at the face Ham made. He was so intense.

"Scab eater."

"Butt sniffer!" Ace had to admit, Ham did have the best comebacks.

"Puss licker!"

"Fart smeller!" Thankfully, Aislin was far enough away so that boys couldn't hear her really bust out in laugher. The comment isn't what made her lose it; it was Bertram's face that did her in. He thought he would add a little humor but sniffing the air then making an 'aah' face.

"You eat dog crap for breakfast, geek."

"You make your wheaties with your mama's toe jam!"

"You bob for apple in the toilet and you like it."

Ham was silent, only for a moment. Ace could tell he was about to unleash the greatest insult mankind will ever know. It was clearly written all over his little pudgy face. "You play ball like a girl!"

Every single boy there stopped dead. They all gasped, and of course, the sandlot boys began to giggle.

Phillips, looking defeated and baffled, stuttered as he tried to regain his manliness. "Wh-what'd you say?"

Ham looked triumphant. Ace giggled at his look of pure victory. "You heard me."

"Tomorrow. Noon. At our field. Be there buffalo butt breath."

"Count on it pee drinking crap face!" Phillips and his buddies were already turning around and leaving when Ham threw out that last little gem. When Phillips rounded the corner, Ace moved out in front of him, causing him to hit his brakes hard.

"How dare you."

"What?"

"You just insulted my brother, along with the rest of those guys."

"Oh please Ace, they're all losers. Really, the only good player on that team is Rodriguez and he refuses to join us."

Ace stared at him in utter shock. The boy who kissed her and complimented her all night long was a complete jerk. He was definitely someone she didn't want to associate herself with any longer. Thankfully, she had really only dealt with him for one day. "Probably because you're such a jerk."

"Whatever." That was all he said as he rode off with his band of miscreant morons. Ace stomped through the opening to the sandlot and met the eyes of the boys. They must have thought that Phillips was back for another lashing.

"Ace!" Benny ran over to her with a strange look on his face. It looked like he was concerned. "You okay?"

"Yeah, sure. I just found out the boy who I kissed last night is a total jerk."

Benny looked a little taken aback. "You kissed him?" He asked, clearly shocked.

"Sort of. My friend forced me into a double date. He actually kissed me, but it wasn't like I stopped him."

"Ah. I see." Ace watched his face shift. He went from looking concerned to looking shocked and then he looked like he was hurt. "Well forget about him. Hang out with us. We're better anyways."

Ace couldn't help but smile at him. He was right about that, the sandlot boys were a lot better than the stuck up boys she had been hanging around. The sandlot boys were more real. They were grittier. She liked it.

The boys went on playing their game and Ace just watched them. She focused a lot on Benny. She didn't notice it much before but he was really handsome. There was something about his tan skin that made her milky skin get goose bumps. She watched him run the bases like a pro and soon it was time for them to leave. Scotty, Ace and Benny were the last to leave the sandlot but before they could fully leave, Benny grabbed Ace's arm gently. "You want to learn how to hit a baseball?"

Ace stared at him, somewhat confused. "What?"

"I just figured since you watch us, why not learn how to play it? Maybe sometime you can join us."

Ace eyed him then smiled. "Sure."

Scotty turned to look at the two of them. He wasn't sure whether to leave or stay but in the end, he decided to leave them alone. He didn't know about Phillips until Ace mentioned kissing him and to his relief, he was glad Ace thought he was a jerk. If he wanted to see his sister with anyone, it would be Benny.

Benny and Ace walked over to home plate. Benny figured out which side she would hit the best with and positioned her correctly. He stood behind her, wrapping his arms around her slender body to grip the bat that she was now holding. Ace felt her cheeks flush and her heart rate quicken. This was too much, too fast. She stumbled out of his embrace and backed up. "I'm sorry. Maybe we should do this some other time."

Before Benny could even get a word out, Ace ran off. He watched the dusty trail she left behind, settle. Why didn't she like him? Was it because he was Puerto Rican? She was with the stuck up white boy just not too long ago. She didn't seem like that type of person though. Benny couldn't figure it out. Maybe it was because things were too fast. Tomorrow he would just talk to her. Get to know her. He could only hope to start something, something that would hopefully work.

**XxXxX**

**A lot of this chapter was rushed, so forgive me. I wanted to get this out and plus, I wanted to get through the whole Phillips scene. Let me know what you guys think. More to come on Tuesday or Thursday (this only came out earlier because I had nothing better to do when I got home from work!)**


	4. Chapter 4

**I need to clear some things up for the last chapter. The reason Ace let Phillips kiss her was because she thought maybe something would spark between them but it didn't. I did mention that she started to like the feeling of being around him but it quickly fizzled out, especially when he insulted Scotty. There's always the immense amount of confusion that a teenage girl deals with when looking for a boyfriend, this was no different in the 1960s. Now, onto the story!**

**XxXxX**

Today was the day that Scotty was going to be playing against Phillips and his band of jerks and she knew the odds of them winning were about 50/50. Phillips and his friends were 'professional' players, if you go by the fact that they play on an actual team. That didn't mean that the sandlot boys weren't as good, or even better. Aislin didn't really know though, she had only watched them once. From what she had seen though, they seemed to be a great team. They all worked really well together and complimented each other perfectly.

Scotty ran past Ace as she lay out on the grass in the front yard, attempting to work on her tan, even though her creamy white skin would probably burn first. She sat up on her elbows and watched her brother ran over to Benny, who was standing on the sidewalk across the street and staring at her. It probably wasn't the best idea to sunbathe in the front yard, for the whole neighborhood to see but this was the best spot to catch the sun. Ace's somewhat rosy cheeks quickly turned five shades darker when she noticed the eyes of Benjamin Rodriguez on her. Just as quickly as she got up, she lay back down, trying to pretend she didn't see anything.

Benny, on the other hand, continued to watch her, even when Scotty met him on the other side of the street. Scotty eyed Benny for a moment then turned to see what he was staring at, only to see his sister lying on their front lawn in nothing but a pink and blue plaid bikini. Shaking his head, he looked over at his friend and wanted to laugh. Scotty could have sworn he was drooling but he decided not to say anything.

It took a few moments but Ace finally felt as if she was alone. Now maybe she could just lay there and think. After she got home last night, she received a phone call from Maggie, wanting to talk to her about the incident with Phillips. "Look," she started, "I'm friends with Phillips and he told me how you told him off."

Ace shook her head, thinking about the rest of the conversation. Maggie basically scolded her for being so rude to Phillips and she mentioned that he felt horrible for making her so upset. Ace had told Maggie that if that was the case then he needed to apologize to her face-to-face, otherwise it didn't count. Aislin hated when she received apologies through other people. They just weren't genuine enough to her. Maggie ended up telling Ace that she would talk to Phillips, maybe send him over her house to formally apologize. Ace didn't say it to Maggie but that didn't count as a real apology either. That was more like a forced apology. It held no meaning, not to Aislin anyways.

Ace's thoughts were interrupted by a cough. She moved up onto her elbows, expecting to see some perverted older man staring at her but instead she met the eyes of Anthony Phillips. She rolled her eyes, harder than she meant to. How was it possible that she was just thinking about him and all of a sudden he pops up on her sidewalk? Was this damn kid a psychic?

Aislin stared at him from behind her sunglasses, hoping that he couldn't read her eyes. He took a few steps forward. "Can we talk?"

"I don't see why."

"Aw come on, Ace-"

"Only my friends can call me Ace," she snapped.

"Aislin, please. I'm trying to apologize."

"Why? Because Maggie told you to?"

"No, because I wanted to. I haven't even spoken to Maggie." He looked at her with a face that was impossible to read. She hated not being able to decipher a person's facial expressions.

"She said she was going to talk to you about apologizing to me."

"Well she hasn't."

Ace pursed her lips together before lying back on the ground. She didn't care what he had to say, as far as she was concerned.

"Aislin, please. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lump your brother in with the rest of those rejects. I didn't even know one of them was your brother."

"You shouldn't have bothered them in the first place. What was the point of that anyways?"

She heard him sigh. "It's a long story and that's not the reason I'm here. I wanna make it up to you, if you'll let me."

Ace might not have been able to read his face but she could hear the desperation in his voice. She took her sunglasses off and tossed them to the side. Once again, she propped herself up on her elbows and stared at Phillips for a moment or two. "Fine. I'll let you make it up to me but you had better make it good."

He gave a big, crooked smile. "I promise you won't regret it. Meet me at the diner at five. I have something to do before then."

Of course he didn't say it but Ace knew exactly what he was going to do. Even if he didn't tell her now, he was going to tell her later, she was going to make sure of it. Ace figured that at the diner she could test his honesty. She knew the sandlot boys and Phillips team were playing each other today and when Scotty got home, she'd know who the winners were. If Phillips told her the truth then maybe she'd give him another chance. Give him a real chance to get to know her.

**XxXxX**

Scotty was home, Ace had heard say 'see you later' to someone, probably Benny. Time for Ace to find out who had won the game. She walked out into the living room, just as Scotty was closing the door. "So, who won?"

Turning around to see his sister, leaning against a wall, he said; "We did, of course. Those losers didn't have a chance."

His happiness made her smile. Ace always loved to see her brother happy and having a good time. "That's great, Scott."

"Yeah," he said with the smile still on his face. Scotty started to walk past Ace before turning around. "Oh and Benny was asking about you. Told me to tell you you're more than welcome to come with us to some carnival that's in town."

The infamous carnival that Ace never got to with Phillips. Aislin probably would have said 'yes' but now she had other plans. Once she told Scotty she couldn't, he began to frown. "Why not?" He asked.

"I have other plans. I'll tell you about it later." With a shrug, Scotty walked into his room. Ace wanted to tell him why but she knew she couldn't. She knew that Scotty would have gotten angry at her. The poor kid hated Phillips and now here she was going on after date with him. She felt low, really low. Ace almost hoped that this makeup date would go array.

She pushed herself off the wall of the hallway and walked into the kitchen. Her mother stood in front of the stove, mixing something in a pot. From the scent that filled the air, she was making homemade chicken soup, one of Aislin's favorites. "Mom, can I talk to you?"

"Sure, honey, about what?"

"Boy problems."

Her mother stopped stirring to turn around and look at her. "What kind of boy problems?"

Most mothers, including her own, would probably give their daughters a concerned look. Aislin's mother, at least this time, looked at her with interest. She must have known that Aislin wasn't like some of the easy girls that filled the streets nowadays. She had to have realized that her daughter was a respectable, yet feisty, young woman with a good head on her shoulders.

"That boy, Anthony Phillips, wants to take me on another date. Actually, it's a makeup date since he got me really, really mad the other day." Ace hadn't told her mother about what Phillips had said about the sandlot boys. It wasn't her place. If she was going to find out, it would have to have been Scotty to tell her. Aislin's place was to stick up for her brother, even if he didn't always appreciate it.

"Why is that a problem?"

"I don't know. I'm not sure I even like him. He has a big ego." She almost wanted to mention Benny and how he nearly made her heart leap out of her chest just the day before.

"Well I think you should give it a chance. Don't let him try to push anything on you though."

"That's right, because if he does, I'll clobber him." It was Bill. He walked into the kitchen and stood behind Aislin. She laughed at the comment then wondered how long he had actually been standing there.

"Thanks, dad. I know I can count on you." Aislin was the only one who called him 'dad' and she could tell he liked it. Scotty used trying to get used to Bill being his father but he was having a much harder time than Aislin. It wasn't like he didn't like Bill, he just felt awkward calling someone else his father. Aislin didn't have that problem because when her mother and Bill started to get serious, he pulled Ace aside and explained to her that he would never be able to replace her father and that he would never try. Scotty didn't get the same lecture because he was 'too young to understand.'

Bill gave Aislin a smile as he sat down across from her. "So, what's the deal with this kid?"

"Like I just told mom, he's cocky. I hate guys that are like that."

"And I told her to just give him a chance. He may surprise, Aislin."

"Your mother is right. You never know, he might come around."

Ace let out an exasperated sigh. Getting up from the table, she told the both of them that she would attempt to give him a fair chance. Maybe they were right after all; parents usually were right about things like this. Sometimes a boy can completely fool you and turn out to be an okay person after all. Then again, maybe he would continue to be a cocky little jerk just when he wasn't around Aislin. She wasn't going to know for sure until she gave him the benefit of the doubt. Hell, she had only hung out with him once and the second time she saw him, he was having a verbal fight with other boys his age. Ace thought for a moment that maybe she had judged him too harshly and too soon. She would find out tonight whether she was right or wrong about him.

She needed to go and get ready. Ace was meeting Phillips in thirty minutes and she hadn't even done her hair. She walked into the bathroom and stared at her reflection. Maybe she'd just brush her hair out and call it a night. She didn't see the need to get extremely dolled up to go to the diner.

Once she was done getting ready, she called out to her parents that she was leaving. Phillips was waiting for her outside. Thankfully, he wasn't in some sort of suit, just a t-shirt and jeans. Being as polite as possible, Ace greeted him with a friendly hello and an equally friendly smile.

"I'm so glad you agreed to come out tonight," he said.

"You're welcome. Just make sure you make it up to me, I don't want to have to tell you off again." Aislin was only partially joking. If he messed this up, she was more than likely going to let him have it.

"I promise, I will." He held open the door for her, and then followed behind. That was a good start. A boy with manners was always welcome in her book.

Some random waitress walked them over to their booth, handed them a couple menus then left them alone to find out what they wanted. Ace looked over the menu when she felt eyes burning a hole through the damn thing. Glancing over it, she met the eyes of Phillips and gave him a strange look. "What?"

"Nothing, you just look really pretty."

Ace raised a brow at him. "Really? I didn't do anything special."

"You don't have to. You can wear a garbage can and you'd still be beautiful."

She had no idea what came over her but her cheeks flushed, hard. "Thank you, Ant."

Ace tried to focus on her menu but she still felt him staring at her. It was only for another moment though, and then she noticed him looking at his own menu. Her mind was racing, trying to figure out what to do or what to say. One compliment nearly turned her to mush. Damn her female hormones and brain. They could never seem to make up their mind, especially when it came to boys. One minute she could completely hate someone and then they next, she wanted to be all over them. It was tough being a teenager.

"So, what would you kids like?" The waitress asked, annoyingly popping her gum as she did.

Phillips took it upon himself to order for the both of them. Thankfully it was something that Aislin would have eaten; otherwise she would have interrupted and changed the order. The waitress walked off, telling them the order would be out soon. Phillips looked at her with a little concern and nervousness. "Oh, I'm sorry. I probably should have asked if that's what you wanted first."

"It's fine. A burger and fries is a classic." Ace had to smile at him. He was at least trying, even if he wasn't that good at the whole dating scene.

Phillips looked at his hands for a moment. She could tell he was nerves; it was nearly coming off of him in waves. It was kind of cute. Maybe he wasn't such a cocky little jerk. If he was, he would have been acting differently than he was now. There was always the chance that he was just putting on a show. Ace didn't want to over think this. She just wanted to try and have a good night, even though hours before she secretly wanted it to go bad.

Their food arrived pretty quickly and the two of them ate rather quickly. They talked a bit about random things but mostly the conversation consisted of baseball. Phillips was highly impressed that Aislin knew so much about the sport. When he asked her where she got all of her knowledge from, she explained that her step father was obsessed with it. She went into detail about his 'office' at her house. How the room was filled from floor to ceiling in baseball memorabilia. "His prized possession though is this old ball signed by Babe Ruth. He absolutely loves it. I think he'd die of heart failure if anything were to happen to it."

Phillips laughed before adding that he would probably die too if he had such a famous piece of baseball history and something horrible happened to it. They got up from their booth to pay their bill. As they walked to the counter, they continued their random conversations with bouts of laughter here and there.

Ace couldn't hide her surprise when he paid for the entire thing. Her mother had always told her that it was the man's job to pay for dates but she had never personally seen it happen. Sure, Bill paid for the meal when they all went out to eat but that's what most fathers did. Ace thanked him for paying and of course Anthony said it was not a big deal, he'd do it for any girl he cared about.

The comment that he had said to her made her heart skip a beat. He had just told her that he cared about her. It was really only their second date, so Ace didn't know if she should believe or not, even if his voice sounded sincere.

Phillips held the door open for her and as they were walking out, the sandlot boys were walking in. Benny's eyes narrowed somewhat at the couple walking out once he realized who they were. Ace stared Benny and when their eyes met she felt a tinge of sadness. He looked so upset. She had a feeling that he was starting to develop a crush for her but maybe she was wrong. It could have just been the fact that she was with Phillips. Scotty was definitely mad that she was with him. His face twisted into a scowl but Benny's was different. It looked like it was a mixture of anger and sadness.

Ace looked quickly at Phillips, wondering if he would say anything to the guys. Then she realized she never asked him about the game. This was the perfect chance. They got outside and they were by themselves. The sandlot boys were inside, probably glaring at the two of them from a window. "Hey, so what were you up to today?"

"Your brother didn't tell you? We had a game against them. See who the better team was."

"And? Who won?"

"They did, unfortunately. We weren't on the top of our game, that's all." The comment was cocky but the answer was genuine. Ace felt a little torn. She was giving him a chance and he was proving himself to her. He was clearly mad that he lost to the other boys, since he considered them not good enough. He had even said that, except for Benny, they were all an insult to the game. It must have been hard to have the comment thrown right back into your face.

Aislin didn't say anymore about it as they walked back to her house. She needed some time to think things over and figure out what she really wanted to do. The look on Benny's face kept flashing in her mind. It was driving her mad. She walked up to her door, Phillips trailing her. "I had fun tonight. Thank you for the good time. You're not so bad after all."

One corner of Phillips' lip quirked up into a half smile. That comment was sure to boost his ego a little. "You're welcome. I'm just happy you agreed to come with me."

"Yeah. Well, good night…" Ace went to turn towards the door and walk in but she was stopped. Phillips turned her back towards him and planted a small kiss onto her cheek. He must not have wanted to overstep his boundaries. He was, technically, still in the dog house. Ace's cheeks flared and she cleared her throat, trying to look nonchalant and failing. "Thanks. Good night."

She quickly walked inside and shut the door, probably a little harder than she meant to. She almost ran into her bedroom and called it a night. She knew tomorrow she was going to have to deal with Scotty and whatever drama he was going to start with.

**XxXxX**

**Bwahaha! Yes, Phillips is back in the story. He's going to make for some dramatic happenings in the next chapter. I expect it to be up on Wednesday, the latest would be Thursday. But anyways, yes, I had actually planned on bringing Phillips back not as quickly as this. I had drawn up a little timeline and looking at it now, some things didn't fit into the movie so I had to tweak it … just a bit. ****:)**


	5. Chapter 5

_"How could you…? Him? You're my sister, you're supposed to be my best friend."_ Aislin kept replaying Scotty's words in her head all day. He was really upset with her, more so than any other time. The situation wasn't as serious as she thought but Scotty thought it was nearly the end of the world. Phillips had paid Aislin a visit earlier that morning, dropping off a flower and a little kiss on the cheek. He was still trying to make amends and show her that he really wasn't a jerk. Scotty- who had returned home after forgetting his mitt- had stood in the front yard and watched all of it.

Ace didn't know how to apologize, other than saying she was sorry, but that clearly wasn't good enough. Scotty had taken off before she even got the chance to explain. A part of her wanted to run after her but she didn't. He was just going to have to get over it. In Aislin's mind this was just puppy love, it wasn't like the two of them were going to run off and get married. That would be ridiculous. Instead, Ace just laid outside on the grass, working on her tan, which Maggie insisted she needed. She once mentioned how Aislin looked like a ghost, due to her pale complexion.

There was only about an hour until her mother came home from dropping Bill off at the airport. She thought for a moment and decided to check on Scotty. Maybe she could buy him a chocolate malt and all would be forgiven, even though she highly doubted it. Phillips had said he wanted to see her later in the day, probably after his practice, which she agreed to. Scotty was just going to have to get used to seeing him around. Who knew, maybe at some point he'd learn to like him.

She had a feeling that all of the boys knew about her and Phillips now and that was the last thing she wanted to deal with. She pushed herself off the ground and went into the house to get changed. She tried to mentally prepare herself for the verbal beating she was about to receive as she walked to the sandlot, hands shoved into her pockets.

She rounded the corner expecting to see the boys playing the game like normal. Instead, they were all close to the fence of Mr. Myrtle's junkyard, standing in a circle of sorts. With her brow raised, Ace strolled over. She heard Benny mentioned something about 98 cents and how they needed to look everywhere to find it. She thought that was rather strange and wondered what they needed the money for.

Benny was the first to turn around, then the other boys followed suit, looking as if they were about to take off running in different directions. When they saw Aislin, they all froze, except Scotty who walked forward and demanded to know why she was there. "I just came to see if you were okay. What do you need the money for?"

"You're brother just aced a ball, signed by Babe Ruth, to the beast." Benny ran a hand through his sweaty dark hair. He was somewhat agitated. She couldn't tell if it was with her, the situation or both.

"Wait … what?" It took her a moment to process Benny's comment. There was no way Scotty could have gotten a ball signed by Babe Ruth. Unless it was Bill's ball. Ace's pupils nearly doubled in size as she stared at Scotty in horror. "You didn't come back to get your mitt, did you?"

Scotty looked down at his feet for a moment, lightly kicking up some dust. Ace's state turned into an icy glare. Scotty may have been deemed 'man of the house' by Bill but Aislin was still older than him, and therefore still in charge. "Scotty! Why in the world did you think that was a good idea?!"

He went on to explain that he didn't expect that to happen. Of course not, who would have? Ace shook her head as she listened to his story. Scotty felt like he needed to help the boys out, which was fine, but that didn't mean he had to steal one of their fathers' prized possessions. Benny looked over at Ace and sighed. "We need the money to buy a new ball."

Turning on her heel, she gaffed at Benny. "A new ball? Are you serious? You'd rather be playing right now than fix this huge problem?"

"No, we're gonna buy a new ball and replace the one that the beast has." There was an obvious angry undertone to his voice. Ace's eyes softened, she had a feeling there was something other than the baseball bothering him. Call it 'female's intuition.'

"Look I have some extra money at home. Just a little bit I've saved up, I can give you a dollar so you can get a new ball." She turned to walk back home and collect the money. Of course she didn't need to help them but she wanted to. Scotty's friend meant everything to him, so why not give them a little help. Besides, that could have been her silent peace treaty with them for dating Phillips. Ace walked past the fence that hid the sandlot from prying eyes when she felt someone lightly grab her elbow.

"You don't have to help us if you don't want to." It was Benny. She stopped and turned to look at him.

"It's fine. I want to."

Ace would have started walking again but Benny moved in front of her. He held a look on his face that she was unfamiliar. He looked angry and confused. "Why are you with him?"

Closing her eyes, she shook her head. She knew that was coming. She didn't know who was going to mention it but she knew that Scotty must have told them. She opened her eyes and met Benny's dark ones. "He seems really nice when he's not on the field. He's a different person."

Benny rolled his eyes. "No he's not. He's putting on a good show for you. That's all that is and you're dumb enough to fall for it."

Dumb? Ace was far from dumb, in her mind. She narrowed her eyes at him. "Excuse me? I am not dumb. And why do you even care?"

He was caught off guard with the question and he desperately wanted to tell her the truth. He wanted to tell her he had a crush on her and that he thought about her more often than he should. He wanted to tell her that he thought of hundreds of ways to ask her out but was too chicken to attempt it, afraid of her rejection. Maybe now was a good time, even though the current situation wasn't ideal. At least this was a chance to tell her how he felt. "From the moment I saw you, I thought you were gorgeous. Probably the most gorgeous girl I've ever seen. You're sweet, funny. You're not like most of the girls here. You know about baseball. You're just … to me, you're perfect."

Now Ace was the one caught off guard. She didn't know what to say or what to do. She just needed a moment to think. Phillips was technically her boyfriend now, which she was still unsure of. Sure she thought he was nice but what if Benny was right? What if it was just a show he was putting on and in a few days he'd go right back to his old, jerky ways? Ace's mind was so cluttered with thoughts, she couldn't process anything correctly.

Benny stood there, not knowing what she was going to say and quite frankly that made him nervous. It was time for a bold move. Something that would make her change her mind, hopefully. He took a step forward, while she was lost in her thoughts, and wrapped his arms around her waist. He gently pulled her close to his body, leaning his head down so his lips met hers. Ace nearly melted in his arms. Her cluttered mind soon became clear and the only thing she cared about was his hands and lips on her. His kiss burst like fireworks against her soft skin, it was ten times more magical than any kiss Phillips could ever give her.

When the thought of Phillips popped up into her mind, she almost wanted to push Benny off of her and tell him that she couldn't kiss him and that it was wrong. But no, she thought to herself; _'screw it, this is what I've secretly wanted. From the moment I scribbled his name onto my notebook until now. It's just taken this for me to realize it.' _

The two of them felt like they were standing there for hours kissing, when in reality it was only a few minutes. The other sandlot boys came around the bend and stared at the two of them. Scotty's cheeks were so red and hot they could melt ice instantly. The other boys looked at him then back at Benny and Aislin. Ham was probably staring the hardest, everyone knew about his crush on Ace and they all knew it was never going to happen between the two of them. He let out a loud cough. "You two wanna get a room?"

Ace jumped, nearly pushing Benny to the ground when they were interrupted. Benny just casually turned around, like nothing had happened and asked why they were still standing there. He turned back to Aislin, who was as red as a ripe tomato. Benny took another step towards her and took her hand in his. His hand was slightly bigger than hers, she thought as she glanced down at it. Her eyes made their way back up to his dark brown ones. She couldn't find her voice, so Benny spoke instead. "Let's go back to your house and get the money. I'll fix this problem for Scotty, I promise."

It warmed her heart to hear Benny say that. She loved the fact that he was such a great friend. He'd stick his neck out just to help her brother get out of a pickle, no matter how dangerous or bad it might have been. She knew that he was going to be Scotty's best friend for quite a long time. It was a nice feeling.

They walked to the house in silence. Ace still didn't know what to say or do. It wasn't until they got to the door, when she actually spoke. "You can come in. I'm just gonna grab the money from my room."

He followed her inside and down the hall to her room. He stood outside the door, trying to be a perfect gentleman. Ace bent over her bed and reached behind it, pulling out a small box with a tiny heart-shaped lock. She turned and looked up, pushing some strands of hair out of her face. She looked at Ben with a puzzled look. "You can come in. I don't bite."

He stepped inside and walked over to the bed. "I just didn't want your mom to walk in and get upset."

"She knows me better than that." Ace opened up the box, which was filled with cash. Benny watched her as she pulled out a dollar, closed the box and turned on the bed to hide it again. With her back turned, he took her hand again. Quickly, she turned back around and stared at him.

"What are you thinking about?"

"…I'm trying to figure out what to tell Ant-Phillips."

A smirk passed across Benny's face before he leaned in and planted another kiss onto Ace's soft pink lips. "Tell him that 'Except for Rodriguez, he's an insult to all women' and that 'He shouldn't be allowed to touch another one.'"

She couldn't help but laugh at his clever word play. There was something about him that Phillips was lacking. As a matter of a fact, everything about Benny, Phillips was lacking. He didn't possess his tan skin, his dark, soft hair, his dark, mysterious eyes or his lips. Oh those lips. Ace loved Benny's lips the most. "I think I can do that. But right now, let's go help out Scotty or he's as good as dead."

**XxXxX**

**There it is. Short and sweet. I'll probably write more tomorrow (tuesday) since I'll be stuck in the house until Wednesday afternoon. Connecticut was hit with a horrible snow storm (Nemo) and my city is trying its hardest to plow its residents out, so I'm stuck until that happens. Lol. Comment, favorite, send me a pm ... I don't care, just enjoy!**


	6. Chapter 6

Ace stood outside the corner store while the boys bought the ball. They ran out just as fast as they had run in. They huddled in a circle and Ace just watched. She had done her part, as far as she was concerned. With the boys fumbled around, Ace heard Bertram say; "I got a pencil, I got a pencil."

"Not a pencil! A pen!" Ace liked the sound of annoyance in Benny's voice. It brought a smile to her face. There was something somewhat sexy about it. She couldn't explain it. Maybe it was just because it was Benny and anything he did could be classified as sexy. Finally, Ben got what he had demanded; a pen. He pulled the top off and began to write on the ball.

"Baby Ruthie?"

"Man it says Babe Ruth."

"Eh, I don't know Benny, man…" It was Nunez. His comment of disbelief was followed by Yeah-Yeah's comment of 'yeah, yeah, boy that looks pretty crappy.'

"It doesn't matter what it looks like. His mom is never gonna know the difference. This is just to buy us some time you dorks." Ace eyed Benny as he finished writing. He handed the ball to Scotty, who took off running towards their house. Benny looked up and smirked. "Your mom won't notice, right?"

"Probably not. She's seen it in passing but she's never stopped and stared at it." The other boys went to Timmy and Tommy's house to wait for Scotty. The two brother lived on the opposite side of the junkyard, just around the corner from the sandlot. It was the perfect spot to scope out the beast. Ace figured that she might as well wait too and walked alongside Benny. She slipped her hand into his. They were slightly bigger than hers and looked a lot more masculine. Ace liked them. She always had a thing for guys with sexy hands. 'Hard working hands' are what her mother had called them. She had once confessed to Aislin that she found men who looked like hard workers were more attractive than other men. Benny was a hard worker in some aspect. He worked hard to improve his game, even though he didn't need it. "I mean, would you recognize his signature?"

Benny looked over at her with an 'are-you-kidding' face. Ace didn't notice at first, it wasn't until she didn't receive an answer when she looked at him. "Seriously?"

"Well, I don't know. I didn't realize you analyzed signatures." Her cheeks flared a bit, even though her voice hinted mock annoyance.

With a laugh, he said, "I don't. It's just that he's Babe Ruth. Everyone should know what his signature looks like."

As they reached the brothers' house, they saw all the boys standing around, talking amongst themselves. Ace heard bits and pieces of what they were saying. A lot of them commented on how Scotty had lied about knowing who Babe Ruth was and how astounded they were when he didn't know who he was. Ace unconsciously squeezed Benny's hand slightly, causing him to look down at her. "You know my real father died when Scotty was really little. I remember him a bit but Scotty doesn't remember much of anything. There was no father figure to take him to baseball games or play catch with him. Not until Bill showed up anyways. Scotty was very awkward around him."

Ace paused for a moment, and then gave a small laugh. "Actually, he still is. It wasn't until he saw you guys going to the sandlot that he took up an interest in baseball. He figured if he could learn to play the game that he could make friends with you guys. Bill tried to teach him but I don't think he really had the patience."

Benny continued to look down at her with soft eyes. He never knew what it was like to lose a parent, for he had both of his. He only new of the undying love they seemed to have for each other and him. "Does Bill not get along with him?"

"On the contrary, Bill really likes the both of us. I just think he senses that Scotty doesn't know how to act around him. Not to mention he's never had to deal with a kid that knows absolutely nothing about sports. When first started hanging around our old house, I used to cling to him, so I was always in his study and whatnot. One day he started talking to me about baseball and what a great sport it was. He asked me if I wanted to know more about it and since I was so obsessed with him, I agreed."

She heard a husky laugh next to her, and looked up to see Benny smiling at her. "Obsessed with him, eh?"

"Not in that way. I just liked the idea of a new dad. Of course, no one can replace my dad but Bill was great with us. Took us everywhere. The movies, amusement parks, the beach. Things like that. But anyways, he taught me all about Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Jackie Robinson. He even told me all about the first Latin American baseball player, L-"

She was about to say his name when Benny interjected. "Lou Castro. Played for the Philadelphia Athletics."

Ace smiled at him and playfully bumped into him as they neared the other boys. "Hey, I was supposed to show you how much I know."

He turned his gaze back to her, giving her a smile as well. He leaned over, placing a kiss onto the top of her head. "You don't have to prove anything to me."

The boys decided to wait for Scotty in their tree house, so naturally Ace followed them up there. She looked around it, taking in her surroundings. She thought that place was pretty cool. It was every boys dream, at least in her mind. Ham sat on what looked like a tool box, while Benny sat next to him on part of the tree that the tree house was built around, playing with a bat. Bertram stood next to him, so Ace stood behind Ham, by the rectangle cutout that posed as the window. She looked into Mr. Mertle's backyard as the others sat quietly, thinking of their next move. It was dusty and full of junk. She spotted a headless doll, some random car parts and other miscellaneous stuff. The only thing she didn't see was the beast the guys talked about so often. Common sense told her that they were just exaggerating.

"Hey, I got it! Go over, knock on the door and ask Mr. Mertle if he can get it for us." Ace turned around to listen to Scotty. He was sweaty, and desperate. Ace hated seeing her brother so rundown but this was his own fault. If he hadn't swiped the ball, none of them would be in this mess.

"Are you out of your mind? Mr. Mertle's the meanest old man that's ever lived. He's the one that made the beast eat that kid." Squints pushed his thick blacked framed glasses up the bridge of his nose. "It's not an option, Smalls. Forget about it!"

"Oh…okay. Sorry. I-I will."

Ace pursed her lips together as she glared at Squints. His eyes met hers and he tried to soften his voice. Or at least make his comment more nonchalant. "Let's just look out the window."

"Good idea," said one of them as they all stood up and made their way to the window Ace stood at and the to the one right next to it. They all saw the same things that Ace did- some broken toys, car parts. But Ace now noticed the thick chain that belonged to the legendary beast and followed it to the lean-to where the beast was rumored to reside. They all heard a strange sound; it was almost like the mixture of a growl and a bark. Then the ball, the one Scotty had lost, popped out from the dwelling and landed on the ground, sending dust into the air.

The all scattered from the window, not wanting to be anywhere near the creature outside. Tommy gulped and said, "He-He's daring."

"We're on his territory now…" Ham said, nervousness showing on his pudgy face.

"Anybody have any bright ideas?" It was Benny. He leaned in a bit, Ace slightly behind him. She placed her hand onto his back and gently rubbed. He seemed to be the only one with some sense. He was oldest, being thirteen years of age, almost fourteen. All of the boys ranged from ten to thirteen but Benny had Bertram by a few months.

None of them had an answer for Benny. They were going to have to sit there and really think. Ace, who considered herself to be very smart, couldn't even think of anything. She didn't want any of the boys to risk getting hurt but none of them would even attempt to ask the old man for help. The boys sat there for maybe thirty minutes to an hour trying to come up with the world's greatest plan but nothing came to them. So they started as primitively as they could. Everyone but Squints and Ace went outside and onto the ground. She told Benny that she wasn't going to have anything to do with their plans, but would at least stick around, in case they got into serious trouble. Benny seemed to agree, not wanting her to get hurt.

The boys removed a piece of the fence that separated the backyard from the junkyard and Ham poked a hole in another fence with a long stick. Ace figured it was some sort of broom handle. Squints sat outside the tree house with a periscope. Well, it wasn't actually a periscope; it was some Wheaties boxes taped together with some makeshift handles and mirrors inside to make a cheap periscope. It seemed to work quite well for him.

Ham poked the long stick through as Squints told him to move it farther. Ham did as he was told and moved the stick in farther. Ace rolled her eyes as she watched them. They looked like a bunch of idiots, her boyfriend included. Just a little while ago, she thought of him as being wise but now she was questioning that. Benny didn't know what to do to get the ball back so he agreed on a trial and error. It seemed logical but this first plan just had 'bad idea' and 'not going to work' written all over it. Just as Ham stuck the stick in a little farther, as Squints had said to do, something happened and the boys all started to scream. Ace tried to see what happened but was unable to from her current position. She later found out that the beast had come out of hiding and put his large paw onto the stick and the ball. When Ham had tried to pull it out, the big dog caught it with his teeth and broke off a large chunk of it. The boys were beyond scared, if that was even possible.

Their next plan was just as bad as the first. They had gotten hold of something metal, Ace wasn't sure what. They had attached it to a bowl, hoping to trap the ball and pull it out. It sounded good at first but Ace was sure they were going to have the same result as the previous plan. They listened to Squints and turned the bowl over the bowl. Once the ball was secure they were told by Squints to pull it back. Just as they were about to, that infamous paw held it in place. Just as Aislin had thought, the boys started to scream. This time, however, they didn't even get the chance to pull the contraption back out. Instead, it was torn away from them, mangled and then thrown into the air. It landed a few feet behind them. Ace stared at it for a moment. "Maybe you guys should stop…"

Scotty looked at his sister, bewildered. "Stop? Bill will kill me if he finds out what happened to that ball. We need to get it back."

"And risk hurting yourselves? Being grounded is the better option, Scott!"

Benny looked up at her as she sat on beginning rung of the ladder to the tree house. "I promise your brother won't get hurt."

"But what about the rest of you? You aren't invincible."

"We'll be fine. I promise." Ace pursed her lips at Benny. He couldn't promise he was going to be all right if he didn't know what the outcome was going to be. That hunk of metal could have hit him and then what? She climbed down the ladder and walked past the boys. She told them she was going home and to be careful. She didn't want to hear any accident reports.

**XxXxX**

Aislin was lying on her stomach, on her bed, when she heard the front door open and close. She saw a blur run past her room and down the hall. She raised a brow and looked up from her book, that's when she saw Timmy and Tommy ran past her. "What the hell are you guys doing?"

Scotty ran into her room, with a grin on his face. "We thought of a better plan. This one is sure to work."

"Oh? What's that? Stopping this nonsense and telling Bill what happened?"

Scotty frowned at her. "No, that's stupid."

She couldn't help but roll her eyes. It was useless trying to talk some common sense into young boys. "Then what?"

"We're taking my erector set and making a retriever set, of sorts."

Ace stared at him, for longer than Scotty would have liked. Behind Scotty, the boys moved back down the hall with various pieces of the erector set. Benny had started to go towards Scotty's room when he saw Ace lying on her bed. He stood in her doorway, watching her and her brother talk. "Ace, it'll be okay. We'll get the ball."

"I'm not worried about the ball. We already went over this."

Benny stepped into the room and moved to the edge of her bed. He sat down as Scotty turned and went into his room to retrieve more pieces. "Benny, you know this is stupid. Don't even act like it's not."

"It might be, but we can't just go ask him for the ball back."

"And why not? You guys act like he's going to whip out a shotgun and shot you."

"Ace, he's the me-"

"Meanest old man that's ever lived. Yeah I heard Squints but do you guys know that for a fact?"

"I've lived here my entire life and I've always heard rumors that he's not a friendly guy."

Ace nodded. That made more sense. They were rumors that these boys grew up hearing. No one knew for certain. "Rumors. Well rumors usually turn out to be lies."

Benny leaned down to kiss Ace on top of the head. He stood up and shrugged. "I'll take my chances with the rumors. I'd rather not be shot."

With that he was gone, as were the others. They had gone to work on their 'fool-proof' plan. Ace went back to reading. She was tired of dealing with stupid boys for the day.

A few hours passed when she heard knocking on the door. It must have been Scotty. The plan probably failed and he was looking for more toys to use. She got off her bed and made her way to the front door. Her eyes fell upon Phillips, who was standing outside, waiting for someone to answer. Ace, up until now, had forgotten all about Phillips. Benny had that impression on her. When he was around, no one else mattered.

She stood in the hallway, concealing herself from sight. She knew she had to talk to him but she didn't even know where to start. After a moment, she walked to the front door and greeted Phillips with a smile. Immediately, he leaned to kiss her but Ace held her hand up, causing his lips to kiss her palm. He pulled back with a confused look. "You sick or something?"

"Not exactly."

"Then why can't I give ya a little kiss?"

Maybe it was just easier to come right out and say but Ace was scared. She knew he was going to blow up and probably go over to the sandlot to confront Benny. Ace had to tell the truth but maybe not the whole truth. "Look Anthony…um I don't think this is going to work out."

"What…? Why not?" He was already starting to look agitated.

Ace stumbled to find the words, when they came out, but not from her mouth. "Because she's with someone else. Someone better."

Phillips cocked his head slightly to the side and opened his mouth, annoyance was written all over his face. He didn't even bother to turn around when he said, "Rodriguez."

Ace wasn't sure how this was going to play out but she definitely didn't want a fist fight to occur. Scotty was behind Benny and she noticed that they looked somewhat dirty and sweaty. She forgot about Phillips for the moment. "What the hell happened to you guys?"

"Just a small explosion, I'll tell ya about it in a minute. Why is he here?" Benny pointed at Phillips with a grimace.

"I came to see the girl I thought I was dating, only to find out she's dating you. I wonder how many other guys you're sneaking around on."

"Hey! She's not like that. She just found something she likes better and went for it." Ace didn't think she was going to get a word in edge-wise. She couldn't complain though, she liked that Benny was willing to stick up for her.

"I still don't understand how a pretty white girl would want to be with some greasy Puerto Rican, such as yourself."

Benny, clearly, wasn't going to listen to such insult. He made a quick movement towards Phillips but Ace jumped in the way. She was facing Benny. He had his arm up, ready to strike Phillips in the face, and rightfully so, but Ace didn't need a brawl to occur in her front yard. She grabbed Benny's arm and brought it down. "Woah, woah, woah."

As she held Benny's wrist, she turned towards Phillips. Her eyes turned icy. "Benny is such a better person than you. I've never heard him say anything even remotely close to the bigotry you just displayed. I've seen who you really are and I don't like him, at all. You put on a really good show for me, but it's over now. I don't want to see your face ever again. Don't come anywhere near me, my brother, Benny or any of the other boys we associate with. Take your ignorant ass and get off my property."

Scotty had just stood there, in shock. It was the first time in a long time, he heard his sister tell someone off. Usually, Ace was more of a yeller and curser. Scotty once said she reminded him of an angry sailor. Ace felt she was more mature and smarter now. Swearing didn't make you sound intelligent. Benny worked took his free arm and wrapped it around her waist. "You should have just let me hit him."

"I prefer my weapons in the form of words. Makes your opponent look like a buffoon."

Benny let out a laugh. Ace turned to look at her brother than back at Benny. "So now, what happened? Did you get the ball?"

Scotty's face dropped and shook his head. "We're going to try something else. Tommy thinks we need do try an aerial attack."

"…Now this I have to see…"

**XxXxX**

**How about that? Phillips is a little racist jerk. Lol. It, obviously, wasn't mentioned in the movie, but I feel like that's something that would have happened. I feel like if he was challenged that way, by Benny, a remark like that would probably come out of his mouth. This was the 60s after all and racism was more prevalent than it is today. **

**Let me know what you guys thought. I apologize for any grammar mistakes in either this chapter and/or any of the other chapters. I'm usually too lazy to re-read the chapter once I'm done writing it. Lol **


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